A need for bearing race assemblies that are truly sealable to thereby render an efficient lifetime of bearing operation before repacking or replacing is present in a number of applications. Unfortunately, many assembly constructions are described as "sealed," but, in fact, do not provide reasonable longevity in day-to-day operations. Such present approaches primarily include bearing structures with rubber dust shields, O-rings, lip seals, grease within near-zero gap housings, labyrinths, and other similar provisions. As is thus apparent, current attempts for protecting bearing structures such as ball bearings primarily involve the addition of sealing materials to housings or race assemblies in which the bearing structures reside rather than making the race assembly itself a part of the seal structure. As a result, moisture, dirt, and other contaminants find their way past these sealing materials and into contact with the bearing structure after a relatively short period of exposure in a working environment. When this occurs, the bearing structure loses its utility and must be replaced or, minimally, repacked with lubricant within its race assembly and once again sealed with an identical potentially short-lived sealing product.
One particular environment in which a sealed bearing product is greatly important is that of the headset component of a bicycle. Traditionally, headset units are common maintenance items because they provide critical handling characteristics for a rider. When a bicycle is involved in racing, cross-country touring, mountain climbing, or other strenuous activities, its headset unit is easily exposed to untoward environmental impact including dust, rain, surface impact, and other potentially damaging factors. Present units attempt to provide bearing protection by using rubber shields, lip seals, or o-ring seals at junction sites of headset construction, with the latter two seals functioning as "contact seals" since two opposing headset surfaces contact opposing sides of the seal structures. Such contact is minimal, however, and is generally equivalent to the width of a pencil line. Another type of seal is a non-contact seal, referred to as a "near-zero gap" seal, between moving and fixed parts where grease is provided as an interface. In each of the above approaches, however, protection of bearing structures within the headset race assembly breaks down because the respective seal constructions do not provide a barrier sufficiently adequate to withstand environmental contaminants.
In view of the above-described criticality of sufficient bearing structure sealing, it is apparent that a need is present for a sealable bearing race assembly having a seal-structure configuration that adequately repels untoward environmental impact. Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a bearing race assembly wherein housing components thereof sealingly mate over a contact area sufficiently configured to significantly inhibit invasive contaminants.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bearing race assembly wherein mating surfaces are flat and are resiliently biased against each other.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sealed bearing assembly wherein ball bearings ride within a channel defined by opposing borders biasly maintained against complimentary borders of a mating assembly component also provided with a complimentary channel wherein the ball bearings likewise ride.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent throughout the description thereof which now follows.